Take a moment to see what’s going on this week in the Division of Student Affairs.
1. DEI Spotlights: The Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services Diversity Committee – The Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services Diversity Committee began in fall of 2012. We noticed a need that would help our own staff members that has ended up being beneficial to others as well. Our RAs need to know about diversity events taking place so they could plan to bring their residents to as they built community and connect residents to their community. We knew our full-time staff members would also benefit from knowing about these opportunities to learn more and increase our cultural consciousness. Our first calendar and list of diversity events were created in fall of 2012 and have continued while we have had staff to support this effort. Over time, our distribution list has grown beyond our residential community – currently there are 98 folks who directly receive our weekly messages. We hang fliers of these documents in the residence hall lobbies, the monthly calendars are shared on our Twitter profile @MoStRLDiversity, and the documents are shared each week via our email address residencelifediversity@missouristate.edu. We look at 84+ websites & social media accounts to see what events may be happening on campus and in the Springfield community that highlight identities and/or cultures to include on our list of diversity events taking place. If you want to ensure we know about an event, please feel free to notify us via residencelifediversity@missouristate.edu or tag us @MoStRLDiversity on Twitter. Our detailed list of diversity events goes out weekly (either on Thursday or Friday) and our monthly calendars goes out at the start of each semester and at the end of the week before the next month begins. If you’d like to be to be added to our distribution list, please just send us an email. We hope this compilation of diversity events amplifies the efforts of departments, offices, and organizations who plan and facilitate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion events. May these be a resource to help us all lean into learning and engaging!
2. First Generation Student Celebration Week – Join us as we celebrate our First Generation Students This week. There are many events planned such as the First Generation Student Panel this afternoon, MSU: I’m First Student Organization get-together, Self-Care and You Coaching Workshop and the week’s Keynote Speaker Carlos Ojeda, Jr. Encourage the students in your area to attend these great and informative events. Questions? Reach out to Dr. Tracey Glaessgen at TraceyGlaessgen@MissouriState.edu or at 6-8343.
3. Open enrollment and Virtual employee benefit fair November 1 – December 1 – Open enrollment is the annual period during which you can elect/decline/or make changes to your medical, dental, vision, and cafeteria/flexible spending plans for the upcoming calendar year. (Flexible spending elections must be elected annually). Find out more about open enrollment: https://bit.ly/3NiQVQh
4. Counseling Center Holding Open Forums – The Division of Student Affairs is happy to announce that we are bringing to campus four candidates for the Mental Health Clinician: 9-month and 12-month appointments vacancy in the Counseling Center. The candidates will be providing a 25-minute presentation followed by a question-and-answer session for campus and community members. The interviews will take place the week of November 7th. Please join us if you can! See the dates, times and information about the candidates here: https://blogs.missouristate.edu/studentaffairs/files/2022/11/DOSA-Counseling-Center-Interviews-November-20022.pdf
5. Utilize your Non-credit Fee Waiver at the Rec Center – Every full-time employee is eligible for a $150 non-credit fee waiver that may be used throughout the fiscal year. Consider using your waiver to participate in one of the Rec Center’s courses and programs. These include: BearFit Pass; CPR Course; First Aid Courses and Personal Training. To register online, go to My Missouri State, Click on the Profile Tab, under Professional Development select My Learning Connection.
6. MSU Honors Area Veterans – We will hold events November 11-12th to celebrate Veterans Day. Events include the Taps Project on November 11th. The National Anthem will be played at 10:55 a.m. in front of McDonald Arena. The cascading sound of Taps by MSU trumpeters will start at 11:11 a.m. The Missouri State Bear Battalion will assist the trumpeters as they play throughout campus. This event is free for all attendees. No registration is required. On November 12th, join us for free food and beverages at 11 a.m. at the Veteran Student Center tent before the football game. For more information about the tailgate, contact veteranservices@missouristate.edu.
7. Native and Indigenous Heritage Month – Surround yourself in indigenous culture through educational and social events during Native and Indigenous Heritage Month on the Missouri State University campus. The events will run Nov. 5-Dec. 5. They will help the campus community and general public gain a better understanding of native and indigenous history, traditions and customs. “It’s important to celebrate the rich cultures and diverse perspectives of our nation’s first people,” said Nina Barudzic, MSU director of multicultural programs. “By having unique and authentic programming, we’re honoring the Native and Indigenous people and helping our campus community learn more about essential pieces of history.” To learn more, visit https://news.missouristate.edu/2022/10/25/university-faculty-and-students-come-together-for-native-and-indigenous-heritage-month/.